Just in time for San Francisco's Bay to Breakers event, Uber has launched UberXL in the Bay, a cheaper way to hire SUVs with room for up to six passengers.

Uber said in a blog post that UberXL includes pickups by Toyota Highlanders, Ford Explorers and Nissan Pathfinders, and in time for San Francisco's celebrations, the company is launching the new service with a 50 percent discount on trips taken with the fare split feature.

The service gives customers more choice than a regular car or luxury Sedan and is relatively cheaper.

Expanding the Uber service further is likely to put traditional taxi driver teeth on edge, as the controversial service has come under fire for undermining these businesses. Uber is a service which connects drivers and travelers through a vetted network, cutting the traditional taxi out of the loop.

Taxi drivers have argued that Uber should be placed under the same rules and regulations as they, however, Uber says that as the business is a network rather than an owned fleet of cars, it should not be treated in the same way.

Despite these problems -- and a number of court cases levied against the company because of the regulation issue -- Uber scored a major win this month through a Google update which includes Uber services and links on the popular Google Maps feature.